Ornellaia, Bolgheri | 538 Wine Notes

Le Serre Nuove 2013

Le Serre Nuove is the second label of Ornellaia. Coming primarily from the Estate’s younger vineyards and made with the same passion and attention to detail as Ornellaia. A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia combines generosity and depth of flavor with an engaging and vibrant personality.\

The 2013 Le Serre Nuove almost crackles with energy, and its exuberant acidity provides the perfect foil to the wine’s rich, opulent, ripe fruit. Brambly black berries and juicy cherries cavort with grilled herbs, exotic spices, mocha, and warm cigar wrapper in this silky, grippy Super Tuscan. Medium-bodied yet satisfying, this wine unspools on the palate to reveal chewy, fine-grained tannins and a mineral-inflected palate, and it builds to a powerful yet finessed, lingering finish. A blend that changes every vintage, the ‘13 Le Serre Nuove is a blend of 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 12% Petit Verdot. The estate vinifies each vineyard block separately, fermenting the grapes in temperature-controlled stainless steel, aging the wines for about 15 months in barrique, one-quarter new, before assembling the final blend; after, the wine ages for another three months in barrel and six months in bottle before release.

94 points James SucklingWonderful depth of fruit to this wine with blackcurrants, spices, mints and flowers. Full body, firm and silk tannins and a fresh finish. Tight and polished red. This needs another three of four years to come together but shows style and beauty. Superb second wine from Ornellaia. (8/2015)

92 points Robert Parker's Wine AdvocateI have always been a big fan of this wine. The 2013 Bolgheri Rosso Le Serre Nuove is a generous blend of Merlot (32%), Cabernet Sauvignon (36%), Cabernet Franc (20%) and Petit Verdot (12%). The wine presents an intensely drinkable style with soft fruit nuances of cherry, spice, grilled herb and leather. The integration of those aromas is absolutely seamless. In the mouth, Le Serra Nuove is soft, lush and beautifully persistent. (ML) (10/2015)

90 points VinousThe 2013 Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia is polished and refined to the core. Mocha, smoke, black cherries, licorice, torrefaction and dark spices meld together in the glass. This is a relatively open, mid-weight vintage for the Serre Nuove, with expressive aromatics and open-knit fruit. The new oak is especially apparent here. In some recent vintages, Le Serre Nuove has come across as almost too serious of a second wine. That is not the case in 2013, where Le Serre Nuove is quite distinct from Ornellaia, and also much more approachable right out of the gate. The 2013 also has a relatively high amount of Cabernet Franc because less was used in the Ornellaia than normal. (10/2015)